A Journey to the 798 Art District

A Journey to the 798 Art District

It was a beautiful spring Sunday, a good time to trek over to my favourite area in Beijing: the 798 Art District. 798 is a very interesting place; a former industrial sector that has been reborn as a hub of creativity, full of art galleries, cafes and designer studios.

Art may not be the first thing that folks in the West think of when they think of China, but this place is full of awesome galleries and amazing artwork. I’ve seen some terrific shows here over the past couple of years. A lot of the work demonstrates really fine use of colour and lyrical sense of composition.

Another cool part of this district is a former factory section that they kept ‘as is’. This is almost like a gigantic sculpture in and of itself, with walkways and staircases that allow you to explore interesting nooks and crannies. A great place to take photographs and to get a visceral sense of the massive changes that have occurred in China over a very short period of time.

798 is an exciting place and a focal point for the arts in a country and culture that is experiencing a period of renaissance. I will look forward to the day when one of the great galleries in this area feature some of my new work!